New research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, finds that sleep deprivation increases sensitivity to pain by numbing the brain's painkilling response. Share on Pinterest Sleep may be key for relieving chronic pain, a new study suggests.
Sleep affects pain. You may have noticed that when you sleep poorly and are tired your pain tends to be worse. Research shows that one of the most important predictors for pain intensity is the number of hours slept the night before. Bottom line: if you sleep poorly, your pain will be worse the next day.
Common causes of pain at night include: Hormone levels – production of the anti-inflammatory hormone cortisol drops to its lowest point at around midnight, so this could see discomfort rise for certain ailments. Sleep position – staying in one position all night can cause your joints to get stiff.
There are two types of pain: acute and chronic. Acute pain is the body's normal response to tissue damage or injury and needs immediate medical treatment. It heals and generally lasts less than three months. Chronic pain is an abnormal response and doesn't improve with time.
Coping treatment methods include taking pain medication, using hot and cold therapy, applying topical creams, getting a massage, etc. Distraction techniques can also help individuals cope by focusing attention away from negative or painful thoughts.
The link between pleasure and pain is deeply rooted in our biology. For a start, all pain causes the central nervous system to release endorphins – proteins which act to block pain and work in a similar way to opiates such as morphine to induce feelings of euphoria.
Endorphins are the body's natural pain relievers, and they can be as strong as many of the strongest pain relievers. Endorphins also help alleviate anxiety, stress and depression — conditions that often accompany and exacerbate chronic pain. The body produces endorphins during aerobic exercise.
It Can Cause Further Damage Simply ignoring nerve pain will not make the problem go away. In fact, you may just be making the situation worse by causing further damage.
The central amygdala houses a pain-suppression circuit that can “turn off” pain. Researchers at Duke University recently identified specific neurons in the central amygdala that appear to "turn off" pain during general anesthesia, even if there is no loss of consciousness.
Simple, everyday activities like walking, swimming, gardening and dancing can ease some of the pain directly by blocking pain signals to the brain. Activity also helps lessen pain by stretching stiff and tense muscles, ligaments and joints.
Pain can be connected to inflammation
It may also lead to fatigue, especially if inflammation persists over a period of time, as is the case with conditions such as arthritis.
Morning body aches can be caused by a lack of good quality sleep, which deprives your body's tissues and cells of repair time. An effective way to improve sleep is with exercise, which tires the body and reduces stress, helping to improve both the quality of your sleep, and the amount of sleep that you get each night.
This is important because it is yet another key observation that sleep reduces inflammation and, conversely, that sleep interruption increases inflammation,” says lead author Filip Swirski, PhD, Director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Icahn Mount Sinai.
Adequate rest is so important and can help with chronic nerve pain. Make sleep as easy for yourself as possible.
Medical professionals have seen that sleep plays a significant role in helping the body heal itself and return to normal function. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has linked sleep deprivation to several medical issues including hypertension, diabetes, depression and cancer.
Relaxation, meditation, positive thinking, and other mind-body techniques can help reduce your need for pain medication. Drugs are very good at getting rid of pain, but they often have unpleasant, and even serious, side effects when used for a long time.
Researchers have developed a type of treatment called pain reprocessing therapy (PRT) to help the brain “unlearn” this kind of pain. PRT teaches people to perceive pain signals sent to the brain as less threatening.
The neurons activated by vibratory sensation inhibit the afferent pain nerves, thereby blocking or inhibiting the message sent by the neurons that sensed pain. Therefore, by producing a strong vibratory sensation, we can “trick” the body into not feeling the pain sensation as strongly.
Physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, can also raise pain tolerance and decrease pain perception. One study found that a moderate to vigorous cycling program significantly increased pain tolerance. Mental imagery refers to creating vivid images in your mind, and it can be useful for some in managing pain.
When the tissue regrows or mends and inflammation subsides, the pain should stop. This type of pain serves a purpose; it warns you to protect and stop using the injured part. If pain persists after healing, it no longer serves any protective function.
Acetaminophen is generally considered safer than other pain relievers. It doesn't cause side effects such as stomach pain and bleeding.
Paracetamol tends to have fewer side-effects than other over-the-counter painkillers. Ibuprofen and aspirin can cause stomach problems. Paracetamol is often better for people with conditions that cause bleeding. Paracetamol is also the safest painkiller to take during pregnancy.
What's the safest OTC painkiller for an aging parent? For most older adults, the safest oral OTC painkiller for daily or frequent use is acetaminophen (brand name Tylenol), provided you are careful to not exceed a total dose of 3,000mg per day. Acetaminophen is usually called paracetamol outside the U.S.